"My Mother-in-Law Believes I'm a Killer"

March 20, 2014

Ty says his wife, Nicole, has not spoken to his mom, Katherine, in more than seven years, because Katherine has made several, serious accusations against her daughter-in-law, including involvement in a murder, political corruption and lying about her law degree — allegations Nicole adamantly denies. How does Katherine justify her concerns? And, when the three come together on Dr. Phil’s stage, will they reach a truce?

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“My Husband’s Mother Is Insane”

Nicole says she knew before she married Ty that his mother, Katherine, didn’t like her — and now, she says her mother-in-law is making several false allegations against her. “My husband’s mother is insane,” she says. “[Katherine] says that I have multiple identifications, that my name is not Nicole, and that I’m someone else,” she says. “She also said that all of my family at my wedding were fake, and they were all actors, which is ridiculous.” She says her mother-in-law has also falsely accused her of drugging and brainwashing Ty and holding him hostage. One of the most outrageous allegations, according to Nicole, is that she “murdered” Katherine’s 19-year-old son, Michael, who died in a car crash in 2006. “Based on the witnesses, this [crash] was clearly an accident,” she says.

Ty says the accusations and threats — including persistent phone calls — from his mother began after his brother’s death and are unfounded. “The allegations are from beyond left field; they’re not even in the ballpark,” he says. “I do not trust my mother — not in her mental state.”

Nicole says that Katherine also accuses her of lying about her law degree — even after she represented her in court, and the case went to trial. “She’s seen me in court. She’s seen me work, for her, and she says I’m not really an attorney,” she says. “She has also accused me of defrauding her, and she has called the police on me.”

Dr. Phil points out that Katherine has never met Ty and Nicole’s two children. “I think this is the first time I’ve ever actually had a grandmother on the show who has never even met or seen her grandchildren,” he says.

“It’s the case; and it’s tragic,” Ty responds.

Ty and Nicole explain the various security measures they’ve considered — and taken — to protect their family from Katherine.

Katherine’s Concerns

Katherine says she and Ty were extremely close, until Nicole, whom she refers to as “that girl,” entered their lives. “My son has a double degree from West Point in engineering,” she says proudly. "Once he got with this girl, he has not been an engineer since.” She says she believes her daughter-in-law is a liar, so she hired a private investigator, who she says backed up some of her suspicions. “The investigator that I hired told me that [Nicole] was a drifter — the type of person who is paid to do scams,” she claims.

She also alleges that Nicole once poisoned Ty by inserting “something” in her private parts. “That’s the fastest way to get something into a man’s bloodstream — through her vagina and his penis,” she says.

When asked about the car crash that killed her son, Michael, and injured her youngest son, Chris, Katherine says, “I definitely believe my son was murdered.” She continues, “I believe that Nicole was involved with the people who schemed to murder my son.”

Katherine says she hasn’t spoken to Ty, face to face, in four years. “Every conversation that I have with my son is negative, mean, cruel — for no reason,” she says, choking back tears. “He hates me, and I don’t know why.”

“Let the audience and Dr. Phil decide how crazy I really am.”

Political Corruption?

Katherine claims that Nicole was a “plant” during her campaign for city council in unincorporated Lynwood, California — a seat she did not win. “I was given the Democratic endorsement, and then she came along and told Ty that, ‘Your mother should not accept this endorsement,’ and I said, ‘Ty, it’s too late. They’ve given me too many endorsements. I can’t back out now,’” she explains.
“I know for a fact, Nicole was undermining my campaign,” Katherine claims. “I believe that Nicole was passing on my strategy — everything I was doing — to my opponents.” She says she partly blames Nicole for her election loss.

Dr. Phil asks Katherine why her political adversaries would want to murder her son, and she says that she had promised her constituents that she would never steal money and would work toward ending the corruption that she says was apparent in her city. "That's what got my son killed," she says emphatically.

Nicole points out that Michael's accident happened after Katherine lost the election.

Katherine says she believes Nicole was involved with the people she feels were responsible for Michael's death. "I think they sent her to us," she says.

Why does Katherine believe Nicole was involved in her son’s death? And, how do Nicole and Ty answer to the allegation?

Dr. Phil reads Katherine’s letters to the California Bar Association — and President Obama — in search of the “truth” about Nicole. And, Ty weighs in on why he believes his mom feels guilty about his brother's death.

Hear the voicemail that Ty says his mother left him, threatening his wife and children. How does Katherine explain herself?

Dr. Phil enlists the help of private investigator Doug Kane to confirm if there’s any validity to Katherine’s claims against Nicole. What does he find?

Dr. Phil turns to Katherine and says, “I think that you have gotten so caught up, where one thing leads to another, and before you know it, you have constructed this belief system.”

“I’m saying that you got caught up in a situation where I think that you have kind of … lost objectivity,” he responds. He tells her that he’d like her to have a healthy relationship with Ty and Nicole and finally meet her grandchildren — and offers her professional help in getting there. “I think you need some help to work this out … to sort out what’s right and what’s not.”

“I want help because I want to be in my son’s life and in his children’s life,” she responds.

Ty tells his mother that she needs to respect Nicole. “Do not disrespect my wife in front of me,” he says.
After Ty and Katherine argue, Dr. Phil interrupts and asks Katherine, “How’s this working for you?”